Youth protests in Albania demand end to Kushner plan

Albanian protests – Thousands of Albanians have taken to the streets for more than three weeks, calling for the overthrow of Prime Minister Edi Rama’s government and rejecting luxury resort plans involving Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner that they say threaten protected coastal ec

For more than three weeks, tens of thousands of Albanians have come out — again and again — seeking not just a policy tweak, but the complete overthrow of the government.

At the start, the anger was focused and visible. In early May. a barbed-wire fence was erected in the Vjosa-Narta Protected Landscape in Zvërnec. restricting access to one of the country’s most treasured natural coastlines and one of the Mediterranean’s last untouched coastal ecosystems. The protected area is home to flamingos. pelicans. migratory birds. and hundreds of protected species. and includes lagoons. wetlands. and habitats described as having exceptional ecological value.

The protest surged after activists, residents, and members of the Levizja Bashkë political party gathered to challenge the fences — and after security guards violently dragged a demonstrator through the property. What followed became known locally as the “Flamingo Revolution.”

Nightly rallies have filled Tirana, even when it rains. Protesters gather at the Boulevard of Martyrs. and they keep chanting as they march through the city afterward. with residents waving from balconies. taxi drivers honking their horns. and tourists watching — sometimes joining in. In the capital’s main square. protesters have climbed atop the Skanderbeg statue. and crowds have taken over sidewalks in front of familiar landmarks like the Pyramid of Tirana. a cultural hub built as a museum to Communist leader Enver Hoxha.

The movement’s immediate demand is stark: Rama’s resignation and the dissolution of his government. Protesters say they want a year-long. interim technocratic leadership to prepare Albania for new elections. a two-term limit for prime ministers. the nullification of Law 21/2024. and legislative reforms related to foreign investment and elections.

But the spark traces back to the Kushner-Trump luxury resort plan — a blueprint protesters see as an assault on nature and a symbol of political capture by wealthy interests. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. the activists say. are planning to build a new luxury resort in the Vjosa-Narta Protected Landscape in Zvërnec. The account also points to their broader vision: two luxury developments in the region. including a resort on Sazan. described as a protected nature zone and one of Albania’s only major islands.

In February 2024, Albania’s parliament passed Law 21/2024 under Prime Minister Edi Rama, led by the center-left Socialist Party. The law allows the National Territory Council to grant permits for luxury tourist resorts anywhere in the country. even in protected landscapes. Three days later, Kushner went public with plans for the developments.

Protesters argue that Ivanka’s vision includes up to 10. 000 “units of villas. ” priced far beyond what most Albanians can afford. to be built in an area where many locals lack access to 24-7 running water. Albania. which has set a goal of 2030 for admission to the European Union. is said to be obligated to repeal Law 21/2024 because it clashes with EU conservation standards — but protesters say the repeal has not happened.

As the protests spread, the slogans widened beyond the resort projects. Youth chanting “Çohuni nga kafja!. (Get up from the cafes!)” has become part of the nightly scene. People sing out “Rama Burg. Berisha Burg” — “Rama jail. Berisha jail” — calling for the imprisonment of the country’s two predominant political bosses. Socialist Rama and Democrat Sali Berisha. whose parties have been mired in corruption scandals since Albania transitioned from state socialism to democracy in 1991.

The protests have drawn a long roster of names from across the political and municipal landscape. Berisha has been charged with corruption directly. Rama’s Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku. her predecessor Arben Ahmetaj. and Tirana’s mayor Erion Veliaj have all been indicted by Albania’s Special Anti-Corruption Prosecution agency.

Other chants include “Revolution!”. “The end has come for you!”. “We are the opposition!”. “Cancel the Project!”. “Rama. resign!”. and “A new Albania!” Protesters have impersonated Sali Berisha and Edi Rama. complete with chains and prison colors — turning politics into theater. but also into something with an edge.

Rama, for his part, has downplayed the opposition. He has said the Kushner-Trump project will proceed even if 500. 000 Albanians take to the streets. and he has pointed to the Socialist Party’s sweep in 2025 as evidence of his popular support. He has also referenced an investment of roughly $4.6 billion in the Vlorë region. including an estimated $1.6 billion just for Sazan island. describing it as a “no-brainer” for a country whose GDP is only about $33 billion.

Still, the scale of the movement has unsettled the political equilibrium. Protesters describe it as grassroots and decentralized. with no clear leaders and only protest “coordinators.” They call it a revolt against the status quo and the political establishment that has ruled Albania for the past 36 years — a protest against corruption and oligarchy — and they say it has united people across the political spectrum: youth. environmental activists. pensioners. young families. and influencers.

The movement has also been shaped by the protest generation’s media habits. Savvy Gen Zers. content creators. and influencers have flooded Instagram with protest videos. memes. informational content. and revolutionary posters and artwork. Rama has blamed the protests on social media algorithms he says are being hijacked and fueled by foreign agents.

One reason the movement has kept drawing people. organizers and participants say. is that it has often looked like a family event rather than a riot. The protests are widely seen as nonviolent and family friendly, and they have attracted many young families with children. Nightly rallies at the Boulevard of Martyrs have included a dedicated children’s drawing area run by local artists and volunteers. plus a “people’s podium” where citizens can voice their discontent.

After daybreak rallies, families and crowds march through neighborhoods where residents wave them on. Taxi drivers honk their horns and tourists watch from cafes. Protesters have also used symbolic props — including hand-painted flamingos in protest of the Kushner-Trump resort plan — and even a Monopoly box with “Albania” written on it during one nightly march.

There have been moments of confrontation. On Day Three of the protests, police unleashed water cannons and teargas after protesters stormed through barricades meant to thwart them. After that, there have been no confrontations of that kind.

The movement has begun to connect inside the country and beyond its borders. A sizable diaspora has spawned sister protests in several European and American cities. On June 20. hundreds of Albanian expats flew in and descended on Tirana in support of the protesters. and that day produced the movement’s largest rally yet. with more than 100. 000 people in attendance. Outside the city. in beach towns such as Kakome and Rrjoll. protesters followed the example set by Zvërnec by tearing down fences and barriers blocking coastal access to protest the privatization of natural areas by powerful business interests.

If the protests have felt relentless. that is partly because Albania’s broader conditions have long been pulling young people away. Since the fall of the communist regime in 1991. approximately 40 percent of the population has left Albania. and more than 50. 000. mostly young adults. still migrate abroad annually. The exodus is described as driven by official corruption. Albania’s high cost of living. and the lack of economic opportunity.

Protesters say the momentum is unlikely to fade soon. For three weeks. thousands have taken over Tirana’s streets every night. and some expats who returned home for the June 20 rally plan to do the same over the July 4 weekend. In a country with about 2.3 million residents, protesters say 100,000 demonstrators can feel comparable to 12.7 million in the United States.

Even as Prime Minister Rama argues that the projects will continue, the night marches keep stretching. The Flamingo Revolution — sparked by fences on one protected coastline — has become something larger than the original dispute. turning questions about nature. foreign investment. and corruption into one demand shouted again and again: Rama must go. and the political system behind him has to change.

Albania protests Flamingo Revolution Edi Rama Ivanka Trump Jared Kushner Law 21/2024 Vjosa-Narta Protected Landscape Sazan island Tirana demonstrations European Union conservation standards